Water mains breaking at normal pace, despite severe cold

Enwin Utilities workers J.P. Pilon (L) and John Friest repair a broken water line Friday, Jan. 24, 2014, in the 400 block of Hall Ave. in Windsor, Ont. The extreme cold temperatures are to blame for the breakage they said. (DAN JANISSE/The Windsor Star)

Windsor is averaging about one water main break a day during this bitter cold spell, which is about average for this time of year.

So far in January, the Windsor Utilities Commission has fixed 19 water main breaks or leaks, according to John Wladarski, vice-president of asset management for hydro and water at Enwin Utilities, which employs the workers who maintain the system for WUC.

“We’re at the same pace as last year, despite the cold weather,” Wladarski said Friday.

When the cold temperatures first arrived in December, Windsor experienced a higher-than-average number of breaks, as frost descended into the ground and expanded the earth, putting pressure on the mains.

“But now we’ve had frost in the ground for a number of weeks, that initial impact has passed,” he said, at least until the freeze-thaw cycle starts up in late winter and early spring.

If the damage is a crack, workers can often dig down and “sleeve” the pipe without turning off the water to nearby residents. If the break is more severe, the water does have to be turned off for a short period of time to fix the problem, he said.

John Wladarski, general manager of the Windsor Utilities Commission is pictured Mar. 10, 2011, at the A.H. Weeks Water Treatment Plant in Windsor. (DAN JANISSE / The Windsor Star)

He said that WUC has been replacing its older and deteriorated water mains in recent years, which helps reduce the frequency of breaks. As well, WUC has improved its system of sensors that monitor the pressure within the system. That enables WUC to control the pressure within the system, which can help prevent breaks.

But where there has been increased breaks is in the pipes on private property. Fixing those is the responsibility of the residents. Though WUC doesn’t fix these, it is called upon to shut off the water or sometimes must replace a water meter damaged by frozen pipes.

The private water pipe breaks increase in colder weather because the water may not be moving and the pipes are in shallow earth more susceptible to freezing or in sections of the house – such as a crawlspace – where exposure and cold can freeze the pipes. The normal number of calls to private property problems is 15 by this time of year but this year the number is 45.

“We’re seeing a big increase in that this year,” said Wladarski. “And there may be more coming.”

Better insulating the pipes or the spaces where pipes are located can help prevent freeze-ups. Because of the danger of fire, Wladarski doesn’t recommend people use heat sources (such as blow torches) to melt the ice in frozen pipes. But one temporary preventative measure on cold days is to keep the water moving in your pipes by running a small stream of water in one or two taps, he said.

“It gets you by until you can fix the problem.”

Windsor’s roads, meanwhile, have become rougher to drive on because of the super-cold temperatures.

The city’s public works maintenance manager, Pete Matheson, said moisture gets into the ground through cracks in the pavement, and then when the cold weather hits the water freezes and expands. “We see a lot of the joints running across the pavement heaved up and roads are getting to be a rough ride,” he said.

“It could be a prelude to a very busy pothole season (in that freeze-and-thaw period), we’re hoping it’s not.”

He said the cold weather also makes salt less effective at de-icing, which means it takes longer to clear snow and ice from city streets.

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